DOCOMO Digital Partners with Safaricom to Launch the First App Store Integration with the World's Most Popular Mobile Money S...
23 February 2018 - 12:16AM
Business Wire
Global mobile commerce enabler, DOCOMO Digital has partnered
with Safaricom to give customers the option to pay for content on
the Google Play Store using M-PESA.
The integration, which is powered by DOCOMO Digital’s mobile
commerce enabling platform using Google Play’s payment API, allows
M-PESA customers to use the mobile money service to pay for goods
and services from the app store.
The service is available to more than 27 million M-PESA
customers in Kenya with an Android smartphone or tablet. From
today, customers matching this criteria can purchase content and
products from the Google Play Store and pay for them using M-PESA.
The solution seamlessly combines Google Play with the M-PESA
purchase experience that Safaricom customers are used to when
paying for goods and services.
Hiroyuki Sato, CEO of DOCOMO Digital, commented: “One of our
biggest goals is to break down barriers and develop ways in which
the 5 billion global adult population can engage with the digital
ecosystem. M-PESA has long been an innovator and leader in the
mobile money space, and we are very excited to partner with them to
bring this service to market. First steps like this are absolutely
essential on the journey to connecting consumers, merchants,
operators and service providers together to create a fair and
inclusive ecosystem for everybody.”
The M-PESA and Google Play Store service will ensure that users
are able to buy apps and games in Play Store, using their mobile
money wallet.
Joseph Ogutu, Director of Strategy, Safaricom, said:
“Partnerships have been instrumental in deepening the convenience
and value of M-PESA to our customers. Today’s partnership will
empower our customers to access Google Play content and further
underlines our commitment to providing more choice and convenience
to them.”
Mahir Sahin, Head of Africa, Android Partnerships, Google, said:
“We are thrilled to partner with Safaricom to bring Google Play
carrier billing to Kenya. M-PESA has successfully demonstrated how
important it is to offer financial services to the unbanked and
deliver financial inclusion. Carrier billing is very important to
the developer ecosystem in markets where credit card penetration is
low. With this partnership M-PESA will play a critical role in the
app ecosystem.”
About DOCOMO Digital DOCOMO Digital is a provider of a
global payments platform to leading OTTs, merchants and content
providers. It is a fully owned subsidiary of the Japanese mobile
operator NTT DOCOMO. DOCOMO Digital is headquartered in London but
is a global company having presence in 35 offices across six
continents.
About Safaricom Safaricom transforms lives. We provide
voice, data, financial services and enterprise solutions for a
range of subscribers, small businesses and government, using a
variety of platforms. We delight over 29.5 million subscribers,
providing over 200,000 touch points for its customers and offering
over 100 different products under our portfolio. Listed on the
Nairobi Securities Exchange and with annual revenues in excess of
Kshs 200 Billion, Safaricom invested Kshs 38 billion in
infrastructure this year, providing over 80% of Kenya’s population
with 4G and 3G coverage and providing 2G coverage to 95% of
Kenyans. Safaricom has harnessed its proprietary fibre
infrastructure to build a dedicated enterprise business, which
provides managed IT services to clients in the East African region.
Safaricom pioneered commercial mobile money transfer globally
through M-PESA, the most successful service of its kind anywhere in
the world. Launched in March 2007, M-PESA now has over 27.8 million
customers and over 148,000 M-PESA Agent outlets countrywide.For
more news, please visit:
http://www.safaricom.co.ke/press-releaseFor media-ready photos,
visit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/safaricom_pr
Google Play is a trademark of Google LLC.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180222005746/en/
SafaricomPR & Corporate CommunicationsPhone: +254 722
005211PRComms@Safaricom.co.keorDOCOMO DigitalDennis
HeisigPress OfficerDennis.Heisig@docomodigital.com+49 162 406 32
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